How many collars/peds for heat detection?

crashbox

Member
Livestock Farmer
Considering getting a heat detection system e.g. collars or peds.

Don't need them for maiden heifers as easily detected using estrotech patches.

In the herd there's always a few barren cows that I don't want to breed, so wouldn't need heat detecting...

For a 200 cow unit how many devices do I need? Currently moving from AYR to autumn calving... poss. With a smaller spring block if too many stragglers.

Does anyone swap the collars once cows are PD+?

TIA
 
Location
East Mids
Depends if you are only doing heat detection or using the rumen/eating monitoring that is part of the package on many of them. If the latter then you would want to leave them on for longer and possibly get one per cow, including your barreners. We used to take them off when PD+ but now that we get the rumen monitoring we have one per cow, has been very useful in a couple of incidents. (One was fodder beet acidosis in the whole herd last year, lost 2 cows but the collars helped us to pick out the less obvious ones whom we were able to save. Also useful at picking up mastitis esp E.coli a few hours before it might be obvious.)
 

frederick

Member
Location
south west
Considering getting a heat detection system e.g. collars or peds.

Don't need them for maiden heifers as easily detected using estrotech patches.

In the herd there's always a few barren cows that I don't want to breed, so wouldn't need heat detecting...

For a 200 cow unit how many devices do I need? Currently moving from AYR to autumn calving... poss. With a smaller spring block if too many stragglers.

Does anyone swap the collars once cows are PD+?

TIA
If your talking block calving you need one for every cow you want to serve so probably 190 because you won't have that many obvious barrers at start of service.
You might as well get them for heifers sooner rather than later. As long as your going for a rumination syatem the heat detection will give you a much more accurate timing.
We served 100% of 78 heifers in 22 days. 12 days of returns and still early to stick hat on but 84% non return rate. Will also next year be able to ai for all the period on heifers rather than bulls after 3 weeks. Maintaining scratch cards for 12 weeks and interpreting Willbe much harder than the first 3 weeks.
 

Splitpin

Member
Location
Devon
Yep, @Beef farmer is probably right it boils down to being tight but I take them off at pd + and put them back on at dry off. Cows are in the race both them times so it doesn’t make another job really. Only use them for heat anyway. Got 80 collars here for 150. Balance seems to be about right
 
Considering getting a heat detection system e.g. collars or peds.

Don't need them for maiden heifers as easily detected using estrotech patches.

In the herd there's always a few barren cows that I don't want to breed, so wouldn't need heat detecting...

For a 200 cow unit how many devices do I need? Currently moving from AYR to autumn calving... poss. With a smaller spring block if too many stragglers.

Does anyone swap the collars once cows are PD+?

TIA
Whos system are you looking at getting?
We will probably say yes to somebody this week,
Just not sure which one.
 

epfarms

Member
Location
somerset
We have sensehub collars, 200 cows and 145 collars. 35 of those collars are on maiden heifers though. We are autumn calving (extended autumn!) we switch them around and it is quite abit of work and admin. Take them off when PD+ (If other cows require them) and put back on when dried off. The collars are great for picking up any health problems early in the cows (usually before the herdsman!) so I do wish we had more! Depends if your staff don’t mind switching stuff around but I would think 180/190 collars would be sweet spot.
 

Rossymons

Member
Location
Cornwall
Considering getting a heat detection system e.g. collars or peds.

Don't need them for maiden heifers as easily detected using estrotech patches.

In the herd there's always a few barren cows that I don't want to breed, so wouldn't need heat detecting...

For a 200 cow unit how many devices do I need? Currently moving from AYR to autumn calving... poss. With a smaller spring block if too many stragglers.

Does anyone swap the collars once cows are PD+?

TIA

Our herds run at 60 - 70 % coverage on AYR calving. Collar stays on till they're PD+ 100d or so, whipped off and put on a dry cow. Barren cows have their collars off immediately and put on another animal.

How many you will need for your block depends on how quickly you want to get there and how tight you want it. Split blocks will keep the numbers needed low as you just swap between the groups.
 

Homesy

Member
Location
North West Devon
Considering getting a heat detection system e.g. collars or peds.

Don't need them for maiden heifers as easily detected using estrotech patches.

In the herd there's always a few barren cows that I don't want to breed, so wouldn't need heat detecting...

For a 200 cow unit how many devices do I need? Currently moving from AYR to autumn calving... poss. With a smaller spring block if too many stragglers.

Does anyone swap the collars once cows are PD+?

TIA
Buy enough for them all bar barrens. Taking them on and off is just a pain in arse and unless you have staff sitting around with nothing to do probably won't get done as often as it should. I've had the Herdinsights for 4 years now but if doing it again I would look carefully at the boluses. The main unit costs similar but the boluses are £30 for the life life of the cow. I have had over 15% of the collars go wrong. They replaced them FOC for the first year or two but now charge 60% of new until next year when I pay the full amount. The boluses are better for health as they pick up sick cows earlier. I have usually found and treated sick cows 12 hrs before they alert. The boluses also tell you when a cow is on calving which would give me more sleep in calving period.
 

Rossymons

Member
Location
Cornwall
Buy enough for them all bar barrens. Taking them on and off is just a pain in arse and unless you have staff sitting around with nothing to do probably won't get done as often as it should. I've had the Herdinsights for 4 years now but if doing it again I would look carefully at the boluses. The main unit costs similar but the boluses are £30 for the life life of the cow. I have had over 15% of the collars go wrong. They replaced them FOC for the first year or two but now charge 60% of new until next year when I pay the full amount. The boluses are better for health as they pick up sick cows earlier. I have usually found and treated sick cows 12 hrs before they alert. The boluses also tell you when a cow is on calving which would give me more sleep in calving period.

Smaxtech?
 

Rossymons

Member
Location
Cornwall
yep I know someone who has it and thinks it's the dogs dangleys. I think someone on here has it too @Jerseycowman ???

The other person I know that has it loves it too. The climate sensor that goes with it is fairly impressive too. Having access to heat stress info and how it affected the cows outside grazing was a real eye opener.
 

jerseycowsman

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
cornwall
yep I know someone who has it and thinks it's the dogs dangleys. I think someone on here has it too @Jerseycowman ???
Yep, I initially got them for calving detection.
usually pick up mastitis 12 hours ahead of normal.
They’ve added rumination now, that drops through the floor at bulling. We had 96% submission rate on the cows with rumination too
 
Buy enough for them all bar barrens. Taking them on and off is just a pain in arse and unless you have staff sitting around with nothing to do probably won't get done as often as it should. I've had the Herdinsights for 4 years now but if doing it again I would look carefully at the boluses. The main unit costs similar but the boluses are £30 for the life life of the cow. I have had over 15% of the collars go wrong. They replaced them FOC for the first year or two but now charge 60% of new until next year when I pay the full amount. The boluses are better for health as they pick up sick cows earlier. I have usually found and treated sick cows 12 hrs before they alert. The boluses also tell you when a cow is on calving which would give me more sleep in calving period.
Should see my pile of dead herdinsights collars, absolute joke of a company now
 

Jdunn55

Member
Buy enough for them all bar barrens. Taking them on and off is just a pain in arse and unless you have staff sitting around with nothing to do probably won't get done as often as it should. I've had the Herdinsights for 4 years now but if doing it again I would look carefully at the boluses. The main unit costs similar but the boluses are £30 for the life life of the cow. I have had over 15% of the collars go wrong. They replaced them FOC for the first year or two but now charge 60% of new until next year when I pay the full amount. The boluses are better for health as they pick up sick cows earlier. I have usually found and treated sick cows 12 hrs before they alert. The boluses also tell you when a cow is on calving which would give me more sleep in calving period.
Is there a monthly ot yearly subscription charge for the boluses?
 

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